Moving On
by HermioneTwin
Summary: Hermione's life has become meaningless now that Fred is gone. As she sits under a familiar tree, fresh tears still clinging to her frozen cheeks, she remembers...HermioneFred
1. Unexpected Mishaps and Reactions

**A/N: Hello there beautiful people! How've you all been doing? I hope everyone's been spending an enjoyable Christmas (or any other holiday you might be celebrating) vacation! And speaking of such, I'd like to wish you all a very happy new year!!!! I'm sending you all virtual joy and happiness for 2008 as of this moment…feel free to take as much as you like. Love is free:) Awww…aren't I corny?**

**Ok, so for the story. It's basically another Fred/Hermione fic. The beginning of the story takes place in the present, i.e. after the war, and the rest of it is a flashback…when this flashback occurs I don't exactly know though. The time periods in this story are going to be slightly undetermined. And nothing is really going to fit in much with the H.P series either…hmmm…well, you'll just have to endure it I guess. I'm feeling rebellious. ;)**

**Every chapter is going to be a flashback of Hermione's, each being pivotal moments in her relationship with Fred, until the last chapter in which we will return to the present. Savvy? **

**I hope you guys will like it! It started out as just a little thing I was typing as a spur of the moment, but after further inspection I found that writing a full story with this might be pretty interesting.**

**So enjoy everyone!! And thanks for reading! I'll try not to let you down!**

**Cheers!**

**Jess…a.k.a girl who always writes way-to-long author notes! ;) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own the song ****I will Survive****, nor the song ****Surrender**** and I certainly don't own Billy Talent…it's quite a depressing world isn't it? sigh **

* * *

**Moving on**

A silent tear slowly made its way down her frozen cheek. She sniffled a bit. The cold was finally starting to register somewhere within her numb thoughts. She delicately placed another single white rose upon the monument and deftly made her way back up the tiny dirt road that lead to the Burrow.

The Burrow…

Another tear slipped out of her hazel eye as the thought of her second home came to mind. It just wasn't the same anymore.

Nothing was the same anymore, now that he had left her.

She came to a sudden stop. Her subconscious mind had lead her off of her usual path, and had instead brought her to her favorite spot on Earth.

The tears began to fall heavily now. She sat down in the snow under a great big tree, now devoid of all its normally beautiful leaves and flowers so that it could no longer shelter her from the falling snowflakes.

Nothing could shelter her anymore. Nothing could protect her from the biting cold, from the absolute deadness that she felt. Only he could've protected her… but he was gone. And now, not even his tree, _their_ tree could console her.

A sob escaped from her lips as she uttered his beloved name, so familiar to her tongue. It felt empty now, somehow bare as if it had been stripped from all of its previous love and joy.

She let her head fall heavily into her arms.

She couldn't bare this pain anymore.

Not without him.

"Why? Why did you leave me? Oh God, I need you so much Fred…"

_**Many months ago…**_

"_She reads a book from across the street, waiting for someone that she'll never meet. Talk over coffee for an hour or two, she wonders why I'm always in a good mood. Killing time before she struts her stuff, she needs support and I'll become the crutch. She'll never know how much she means to me. I'd play the game but I'm the referee. Surrender… _"

"You know Granger, you really sing like a cat with its dick stuck under a rocking chair."

Hermione whipped around as she gasped out loud in outrage.

"I do not!" She shouted heatedly.

Fred smirked as he leaned into her doorway, arms crossed as he stared at her with a look of amusement.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she chucked a pillow towards his head…which he proceeded to catch with ease.

_Stupid Quidditch reflexes… _

"Need I remind you who was the one singing "I Will Survive" out in the streets during his little bother's last birthday party? I had warned you Firewhiskey wouldn't suit you well." Hermione said easily, a slight grin growing as she noticed Fred's mounting look of embarrassment.

"Oh come on, I was drunk. Of course I was singing horribly. You, on the other hand, are completely sober. Unless you've been doing something uncharacteristically naughty up here…why do I smell alcohol-y breath Granger?" He asked in mock suspiciousness.

Hermione laughed.

"You know, you should really learn to shut up when you have nothing intelligent to say." She said with a giggle.

"Well if I were to do that, then I could never stop talking. Come on Hermione, where's your logic?" He demanded.

"Exactly where your sense of humor is." She retorted teasingly.

"But…I have my sense of humor right here with me." He said slowly.

"Exactly."

"So then…are you saying that I've been infected with your logic? Oh dear Lord, if I just figured that out then that must mean I have! Quick! Get it off me! Get it off me!" He exclaimed as he began to scratch at his skin desperately.

Hermione sighed as she blew a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.

"You're hopeless." She declared as she flopped down onto her bed. "And I don't sing bad."

"Yes, you do." He said as he dropped down beside her. "But I love you anyways babe." He said in a false dramatic voice, causing Hermione to laugh out loud.

"Or maybe I just love Billy Talent too much and somehow the love of my favorite group has hidden your terrible singing powers, which has lead me to believe that I still like you even after the suffering your voice has just put me through." He said thoughtfully.

Hermione reached over and slapped his gut.

"Shut up. And they're _my_ favorite band. I was the one who introduced them to you, remember _babe_?" She asked.

Fred shrugged. "Fine. We'll share then."

Hermione opened her mouth in protest but was cut off before she could even utter a word by a surprisingly soft hand.

"Do you really wanna argue with that?" Fred asked seriously, a hand over her lips and another one poised in the classical pre-tickle attack position.

Hermione's eyes darted towards his hand and a devilish smile came across her features. She nodded her head mutely and then proceeded to bite him.

"Ow!" Fred's hand flew off of her as he jumped up in surprise.

"That's for saying I don't sing well." Hermione said with a laugh.

"Oh, you are so going to get it now." He said threateningly as his eyes darkened with contained laughter.

Hermione squealed as Fred pounced on her and the tickling war began.

"F-Fred s-stop! Please! I-I'm going t-to die here!" She managed to choke out after ten minutes of the intense tickling battle.

Fred finally stopped his torture with a triumphant grin.

"Fine. I don't want to kill you or anything, I guess." He said through a thick smile.

Hermione shook her head as she sat up, still panting heavily.

"You sure are one for rigorous cardio sessions, aren't you?" She asked.

Fred laughed.

"You should see me at night when I'm really in action." He said, cocking an eyebrow for maximum impact.

Hermione's face scrunched up in disgust.

"Eww, Fred that's the most appalling mental image ever!" She exclaimed through narrowed eyes.

Fred's hand shot up to his heart in mock pain.

"Well, that sure hurt Hermione. Why must you wound me so?" He said, the classical puppy dog look glued onto his features.

"Oh, don't give me that look Fred! You know I can't stand it." Hermione whined.

"Then take it back." He stated simply.

Hermione sighed unhappily as she watched Fred's clearly amused expression. He was really getting a kick out of this, wasn't he?

"Fine. I take it back." She said.

Fred shook his head. "Nuh-huh. That's not _nearly_ good enough babe. You have to tell me what exactly it is that you're taking back." He stated, the smirk still firmly set onto his lips.

"You're impossible." She huffed.

"So I've been told." He shrugged. "Now, come on and be a good little girl and apologize like you should."

Hermione added another disgruntled sigh for impact. "I'm sorry I said that mental images of you doing…you know, were appalling. I'm sure you're very talented in that…domain. Happy?"

Fred smiled. "Very."

"I'd be even happier though if you meant it." He added as an after thought.

Hermione frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing." He said with a sigh.

Then something quite strange happened.

As Fred leaned over to pick himself up from the bed, his hand made gentle contact with Hermione's. A short intake of breath from her behalf was all that was needed to send his eyes searching for hers. They both stared curiously at one another. A mysterious spark of something shot across Fred's eyes for a second before he seemed to realize what he was doing. He quickly got up as he flashed Hermione an apologetic smile.

"Sorry Granger. Didn't mean to invade your personal bubble. I'll see you later then?" He asked, his voice sounding a bit different somehow.

Hermione blinked a couple of times.

"Yeah…I'll see you later." She said slowly, her voice curiously soft all of a sudden.

Fred nodded before making his way out of her room.

Hermione frowned as she stared at her now empty doorway.

She understood what had just happened. Fred had leaned over and had accidentally touched her hand. No big deal. It happened all the time between her and the Weasley guys, living in such close quarters and all.

She just couldn't understand why her heart wouldn't stop beating so damn fast…

* * *

**A/N: And the verdict? Likey? No likey? Should I continue this or not? Please let me know:) And thanks very much for reading! I hope that these last minutes have been spent in enjoyment… as opposed to horrible torture…heehee! **

**Well, ta for now! Much love everyone!**

**Jess xxx **


	2. Why you Should Never Sit on a Guy

**A/N: Woo! I actually managed to post a chapter within a reasonable amount of waiting time! I think that's one of the first times I've ever done that! Wow…I'm just blown away:) Hihi! Well, I certainly hope you guys will like this one! I actually enjoyed writing it very much…especially the ending! Who doesn't take pleasure in a good Ron bashing? Just kidding! ;)**

**So, enjoy it guys! Oh, and thank you so much to all of you wonderfully amazing people who reviewed for the last chapter! Did I ever tell you how much I love you:)**

**Cheers!**

**HermioneTwin**

**Disclaimer: Mwahahahaha! Greetings, my evil little minions! I have finally created a potion which will enable me to turn my DNA into J.K's! Harry Potter can now be mine! All mine! -_gets so distracted by laughing manically that she doesn't notice a tiny little penguin come along and steal the potion away_- Huh? Oh well…guess it still isn't mine then_…-sigh-_**

**Chapter Two**

**Why you Should Never Sit on a Guy**

Hermione sighed dramatically as she looked down at hers hands for the hundredth time that day. What had happened that morning between Fred and her had definitely been…bizarre.

Yet, she had to admit that it hadn't been exactly unpleasant either.

_Nor unwelcome_. She subconsciously noted.

She just didn't get it.

Fred was practically a brother to her. She shouldn't be having thoughts about…non-brother stuff that girls usually do with guys about him. That was just plain incest!

Okay, so no it wasn't exactly incest per se, but it was still _weird_!

Well…it was weird if you disregarded the fact that she had absolutely loved the feel of his hand on hers. And it was also strange if you ignored the tiny detail of how she had adored the utterly perfect and happy feeling she had felt radiating between the two of them during that moment. And it was also incredibly peculiar if you overlooked the all too obvious fact that she had found his eyes simply spectacular when they had stared down at her with the most amazing expression she had ever noticed within his gaze.

Right, other than that it had been _completely_ weird.

She sighed moodily once more and told herself to get a grip.

This was getting plain silly. She was just going to act as if absolutely nothing had occurred and that was that. She wouldn't be caught dead ruining what she had with Fred or subjecting the rest of the family to shit loads of uncomfortable moments and tension just because she had suddenly decided that she wanted something…_something_.

He had touched her hand. So what? She had touched hands before. Hell, she had two of them herself! No big deal, right?

And with that clear motivational idea in mind, Hermione made her way downstairs, intent on having a nice, innocent chat with her friends to relieve her from all the maddening seriousness that had invaded her thoughts during the morning.

When she got downstairs, however, she noticed that the house seemed completely vacant.

She frowned as she looked around curiously at the apparently deserted hallway.

"You guys?" She questioned uncertainly.

"In the living room 'Mione!" She heard Ginny shout from a little way off.

Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity at not having checked the living room first, Hermione made her way towards the source of Ginny's voice.

She, Harry, Ron, and the twins were all sitting in a circle on the floor in the center of the dimly lit room, apparently just chatting about something. Hermione couldn't guess the subject but she did note that George had two carrot sticks up his nose and was wagging his head around like a complete idiot.

_Maybe something about walruses. _She shrugged, as she made her way into the room.

"Hey, babe." Fred said cheerfully as Hermione made her presence known by jumping into the middle of her ring of friends.

Hermione scoffed at the nickname he seemed to have adopted when addressing her.

She also tried to convince herself that she didn't enjoy it in the least…

"You guys could've saved me a seat, you know." She remarked teasingly as she pointed at the obvious lack of space between each person.

"No problem there, babe." Fred said, as he grabbed Hermione's hand and somewhat effortlessly pulled her down into his lap.

"Hey!" Hermione protested weakly, as she tried to get back up.

But, Fred had stubbornly wrapped his arms around her waist and refused to let her escape and after a few seconds of pointless resistance, Hermione decided to surrender.

Besides…it was rather enjoyable, being pressed up to his chest like that.

_Damn hard chest, too_. She realized with a slight grin...a grin that quickly faded after noticing the penetrating and quite disturbing stare that Ginny was giving her. There was also something unnervingly smug about her expression.

_Ah crap. She's never going to let me escape without putting me through the Spanish Inquisition is she? _Hermione realized with a slight cringe.

Another glance into Ginny's all too excited eyes quickly confirmed her suspicions.

George too, after having removed the carrot sticks from his nose, was giving Fred a very strange look indeed, his eyes occasionally flicking over to study her expression as well. Some sort of unspoken conclusion or realization seemed to form in his mind as he uttered a small, "oh," and quickly adorned his face with an irritatingly smug smile, way too similar to Ginny's by all accounts.

Ron and Harry were absolutely oblivious to the whole situation, as Harry was busy staring off into space with a small frown on his face, and Ron was entertaining himself by eating the carrots that he probably hadn't noticed where in George's nose but a few seconds ago.

Fred seemed quite unperturbed by the whole thing. He just sat there poking at Hermione's back, generally trying to annoy her for the fun of it.

"So, what were you guys all talking about anyway?" She asked uncertainly.

Harry seemed to snap out of his trance.

"Oh, we were just talking about…" But, a loud, rasping noise quickly interrupted his answer.

Ron was choking on the carrot sticks. He had probably just remembered their previous charming residence.

Hermione rolled her eyes at one of her moronic best friends, now rolling around on the floor with his hands clutching at his neck.

"You disgust me." She sighed as she cast a well-aimed charm at the now blue figure so that the food could disintegrate.

"Thanks 'Mione." Ron said as he sat back up, rubbing at his mouth in disgust.

"Hey," he said frowning, "what are you doing on Fred?"

"Sitting." Hermione and Fred both answered mockingly.

Ron looked between the two of them, obviously confused.

"Yeah, I get that, but I mean why are you sitting _on_ _Fred_?" He clarified.

"I must just seem comfy to the female eye." Fred said with a grin.

"Right, with that mushy quality you've got going on, who wouldn't want to sit on you?" George added.

"I don't look mushy." Fred said defensively, clearly offended.

George snorted.

"Hermione, do I feel mushy in any way whatsoever." Fred demanded.

"No, you're actually quite hard." She answered honestly.

"I'll bet he is." George snickered under his breath, earning himself a disgusted look from Ginny.

"Shut up, George" Hermione retorted, although she couldn't stop the amused giggle from escaping her lips.

"So, is anybody ever going to answer me then?" Ron asked once more, obviously not having heard George's comment, as he would have been sent into a mad rampage.

"Answer what?" Ginny asked.

"Why Hermione is sitting on Fred?" Ron solicited with an exasperated sigh.

"Because I needed a place to sit and Fred just happened to be available." Hermione said with as much indifference as she could manage. He was really started to stress her out.

Ron seemed to consider them for a moment, his brow furrowed in contemplation. He then proceeded to burst out laughing, rolling around on the floor once more, much like he had when chocking on the carrot sticks.

"Can somebody tell us what's so funny all of a sudden?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"It's just," Ron said sitting back up, wiping the tears out of his eyes, "for a moment there, it really looked like something was actually _going on_ between you two."

"And that's so funny because…?" Fred questioned.

Ron gave him a disbelieving look.

"Well, come on Fred, this is 'Mione here! As if you'd ever consider _her_!" He exclaimed, still resisting the urge to crack up.

Harry's hand flew up to cover his face as George gave a low whistle.

"You just _so_ screwed yourself, mate." George muttered.

Ginny had gasped out loud in outrage at Ron's comment and Hermione was currently in the process of staring a hole through his scull.

"And why exactly wouldn't he consider me, Ron? I mean, is there something fundamentally wrong with me?" She demanded heatedly.

Ron's smiling expression quickly turned to one of self-loathing.

"No! No, no, no, no, no! Nothing's wrong with you! I just meant that…well…uh…well, you know how you are 'Mione!" He exclaimed, giving everyone pleading looks, clearly searching for help.

None came.

"No, I don't actually. So, tell me Ron, how exactly am I?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"Well, you know, you like to study…a lot…and you spend most of your time in the library or alone somewhere else reading. Not that that's a bad thing, but you know, you're not very outgoing. I mean, you never do anything really fun, spontaneous or daring. Not that that's a bad thing either! It's just well, a bit boring…NO, no wait! I didn't mean to say boring! You're just…well, quiet and umm…predictable. No, forget that, I didn't say that either! You're…maturely sensible and organized."

Hermione's eyes were literally blaring holes through his head by now.

"And, you know, on the physical side…"

"Oh, no Ron please don't go there! You're in so much shit already! For God's sake, have you become suicidal or something, man?" Harry interrupted with a surge of panic.

"No, no! I was going to say that she is in fact quite pretty, but…well, not the kind of pretty guys immediately notice, you know? And…"

"Ron, shut up, shut up, just shut the hell up now!" Ginny exclaimed furiously.

"No, Gin, I was going to say…"

"Oh, please somebody just hit him so that he'll shut up already!" George groaned.

"I'll gladly do that!" Fred exclaimed, fully ready to pounce onto his idiotic brother. He probably would have too, if Hermione hadn't still been seated in his lap.

There was a slight moment of electrifyingly tense silence before Hermione got up and walked over to Ron, now towering over his completely petrified form.

"So," she began in a deathly whisper, "let me get this straight. You all see me as a boring, unsurprising girl who spends every waking moment of her oh so mind-numbingly dull existence reading or doing her homework."

Ron tried to interrupt her, but was quickly silenced by Harry's foot on his hand.

"But," Hermione persisted furiously, "who on Earth would give a shit about that right, because I've got the greatest advantage of them all! _I'm not obviously pretty_! Well, that's just the best damn type of pretty there is out there, isn't it? The kind that nobody can see! Isn't that just bloody _peachy_! I feel so overly spoiled by the heavens! And to finish it all off by the wildly hilarious fact that no guy could ever be interested in me! Isn't that all just perfect? The wonder of it all is just _killing me_!" She exclaimed, now full out shouting.

"I-I really didn't think 'Mione…" Ron began.

Hermione snorted. "Why doesn't that surprise me in the least?" She muttered, turning around on her heel, fully ready to storm off. She had had enough with the ego bashing celebrations.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ron called after her.

"New York city. I'll become a prostitute, get married to an eighty year old chap with loads of cash, murder him, take the money, go off somewhere in the south to lure unsuspecting males into my vicious traps to steal their stuff and piss off their girlfriends. I'll top it all off by jumping off a tower at the age of thirty. Then, maybe, you won't find me so unbearably _boring_." She snarled under her breath, not quite sure any of them had actually heard her.

She stomped her way all the way to Ginny's room, taking care to slam the door shut behind her, not caring if the walls shook a little and flumped down onto her bed, burying her head into her pillow.

She then proceeded to release every ounce of moisture she could possibly have within herself by crying for what felt like hours.

It wasn't until much later, when she suddenly felt something stroke her hair and tenderly take her hand, did she even bother looking up from her miserable position…

**A/N: So…there wasn't much Fred/Hermione interaction, but it was still good, right? Right?**

–_**sighs**_**- Well, likey or no likey, please let me know! I promise to give you lots of love if you do! **_**Random reader **_**: But what if I don't want love!? **

**-**_**thinks it over**_**-**

**Well…tough! –**_**hugs everyone forcibly**_**-**

**Hihi! Cheers you guys!**

**HermioneTwin**


	3. Every Ego Bashing has its Silver Lining

**A/N: I know, I know! I suck at updating, huh? I'm so sorry, guys! I'm very, very bad and I know it! I've just been absolutely flooded with all sorts of stuff these past days! Right this moment, I should be writing a response to I book I was supposed to read in French class, actually. But, I rather do the irresponsible thing and write another chapter instead. Maybe I'll get extra credit if I translate it into French afterwards. _snorts_ Yeah, I can just see my teacher's expression when I hand in a Hermione/Fred Harry Potter fanfic instead of a paper on child abuse. That'll really blow over perfectly, huh? ;)**

**Anyway! I wish you all a very happy Valentine's Day, as I probably won't be updating until then, and to all you single people out there, like myself, I wish you all a very happy Sappy Movie Marathon with Twenty Pounds Worth of Chocolate Bars and Ice-Cream Day! Hihi! Kidding! Seriously, I send you all mounds of love and joy:)**

**So, onto the chapter! **

**afterthought**** I think it's physically impossible for me to leave a short author's note…oh well!**

**Cheers!**

**HermioneTwin**

** Disclaimer: I feel pretty! Oh so pretty! I feel pretty and witty and OH SO NOT LIKE J.K! **

**…**

**All right, so that disclaimer isn't funny, but rest assured, I still don't own Harry Potter. _dramatic sigh_**

**Every Ego Bashing has its Silver Lining**

Hermione tensed as she felt somebody's hand slip into hers.

She then sighed as she realized who it must be.

"Go away, Ginny." She managed to croak. "I don't feel like being cheered up or reassured or lied to. I just want to wallow in self-loathing and laugh at what's left of my confidence and dignity, ok?" She mumbled into her pillow.

"Well, is it all right if I wallow with you, then?"

Hermione jumped up in surprise. "Fred!" She exclaimed.

"The one and only." He responded. Hermione noticed the miserable look in his eyes and immediately became conscious of how horrible she must look.

"Go away." She muttered as she collapsed onto her pillow once more, shielding her face from view. "I look like crap."

Fred chuckled. "You look quite cute actually." He remarked.

Hermione snorted.

"Right. Puffy eyes, wild hair, runny makeup, raspy voice and tear stained cheeks. I'm the very definition of adorable, aren't I?" She said with a humorless laugh.

"Actually, I was talking about your particular attire. Pink pajama shorts with Cutie Pie written on your ass and an oversized black sweatshirt are actually quite nice when combined together. But now that you mention it, yes, your face is quite charming as well. I always did like the damsel in distress look." He said teasingly.

Hermione groaned as she quickly darted underneath the covers. When had she changed, anyway?

"Stop trying to make me feel better." She said with a sigh now that she was properly hidden. "I'm pathetic. I know it, you know it, hell it's basically common knowledge. It's just depressing to have it thrown in your face like that when you're least expecting it. Plus, a tiny portion of me was kind of hoping that I wasn't quite as wretched as I now know I am." She said dryly.

Fred sighed as he lay down beside Hermione's dejected figure.

"You're not pathetic, 'Mione. Nor are you wretched. Come on, my brother's the biggest idiot that ever walked the surface of this Earth. You don't really believe him do you?"

Hermione shrugged. "It's not just him." She mumbled. "I'm not deaf, Fred. I hear what people say about me when they think I'm out of earshot. Know-it-all, bookworm, nerd, loser, beaver, savage…"

"Savage?" Fred interrupted.

"The hair." She answered gloomily. "And it's not as if I'm mean to all those people. They're all people with whom I speak with on a daily basis and generally try to be as nice to as possible. Half of them aren't even Slytherins. And yet, it doesn't seem to matter how kind I am, they always find some kind of degrading word to insult me with whenever I'm mentioned in a conversation. I suppose I'm just too maturely sensible and organized, to phrase it as Ron did, for them to care." She finished with grim chuckle.

Fred sighed as he tried to roll her around to face him. When she refused to budge an inch he simply settled with taking her hand in his once more.

"Those people are all idiots who have no life whatsoever and are purely jealous of your absolute gorgeousness and bright character. It's hard not to envy someone who manages to ace every single one of her classes and look good while doing it when you're not even capable of stringing a proper sentence together without coming down with a migraine. You must consider the amount of Advil bottles these poor people must go through every day, Hermione. It's really quite tragic when you think about it."

Hermione was starting to smile unwillingly. Fred seemed to sense this as he plowed on with his rant with even more conviction and comical passion as before.

"Not only that my dear, but you must also consider how lonely it must get for those pitiful little brain cells, stuck all the way up there, all by themselves, in those miniscule little cages that they seem to call brains. The loneliness of it all should bring tears to your eyes. I wouldn't even be surprised if a few of them decided to jump out of their owner's ear in a desperate attempt at suicide. That is actually the case of Ron's now deceased brain cell. May he rest in peace, the poor little fellow. He never had a chance, did he?"

Hermione was now absolutely shaking with silent giggles.

"And then there's the fact that most of them look like they've been run over by a tractor or are the product of one of Crabbe and Goyle's many wild nights or something. It must be very hard indeed for them to stare at such an adorable witch as yourself, when they could double for Snape and nobody would tell the difference."

Hermione was positively laughing by now. The image of one of Crabbe and Goyle's many wild nights had just sent her over the edge.

Fred smiled triumphantly as he now rolled over her giggling form with ease.

"So, in conclusion," He continued, staring into Hermione's now glowing eyes, "I really don't think it's a good idea for you to move to New York and become a prostitute."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You heard that?"

"Of course I did. I'm not deaf either, babe. And I must say; I really don't think it's a very good plan. I'd think a bit before buying that plane ticket, if I were you. I mean, if you become a prostitute, then I'd quite simply have to become a hit man and kill every single one of your clients. Think of the blood bath, 'Mione! The New York homicide rates will shoot up terribly, and that isn't good for anybody, my dear." He concluded.

Hermione kept on giggling for a few minutes before staring up into Fred's now much happier eyes.

"You know, I don't believe a single thing that you've said, but you have managed to cheer me up a lot more than I would of thought possible tonight. How do you always manage to do that?" She asked with a hint of wonder in her gaze.

Fred shrugged happily.

"It's a gift, I suppose. And everything I've told you _is_ true 'Mione. You're beautiful, smart and basically the most amazing girl I know. You're just too modest to ever admit it to yourself. That's another trait that makes you so perfect, I guess." He said sweetly.

Hermione shook her head disbelievingly, a smile playing on her lips nonetheless, before sighing happily.

"Thanks, Fred. Sometimes, I really don't know what I would do without you." She said quietly.

"Move to New York?" He suggested innocently.

Hermione laughed.

"Probably." She said simply.

They stared at each other for a couple more minutes, neither wanting to be the one to break eye contact.

Fred suddenly beamed. "I can think of something that will cheer you up even more." He said.

"What?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "Fred, I'm not letting you get me drunk again, I'm warning you!"

Fred chuckled at the memory.

"No, no don't worry, it's nothing like that. Do you trust me enough to tag along with no questions asked?" He demanded.

"Of course." She answered, not really even stopping to consider if she should be agreeing to this or not. His eyes had somehow become absolutely intoxicating and her intellect, which he had previously been praising, seemed to have gone down a couple notches.

"Then follow me, babe." He said happily, jumping up and grabbing Hermione's hand to pull her up and out of bed as well.

"Fred?" Hermione suddenly whispered uncertainly, just as he was going to lead them out of her room.

"Yeah?" He asked as he turned around to face her.

Hermione took a deep breath and leaned over, kissing him softly on the cheek. She lingered a moment longer than she probably should have and slowly pulled back.

"Thank you." She said again in a breathy whisper.

Fred seemed completely frozen in place for a second before a blinding smile erupted onto his now beaming features.

"I should cheer you up more often." He concluded, as he turned back around and led Hermione off to God knows where, hiding his traitorous blush from view.

* * *

**A/N: A bit short, I know. Sorry about that! I hope you all still liked it though:) Can anyone guess where he's taking her too?**

**If you get it right, I'll send you REAL LIVE cough-fake-cough COOKIES!** **nods convincingly So, review my pretties, review! And I'll update as soon as I can:)**

**Much love!**

**HermioneTwin xx**


	4. Their Spot

**A/N: Chapter 4! Yay! I can feel the anticipation building…nope, that's just nausea. Oh, well! Enjoy my dears! And as always, review!**

**Cheers!**

**HermioneTwin**

**Disclaimer: You know what? I think that it's finally time to use reverse psychology! So, I will now officially announce that I am actually J.K Rowling! an angry wave of lawyers floods my basement Uh, on second thought, no I'm not. **

**Their Spot**

Hermione couldn't help but stare. Everything around her was breath taking.

"You like it then?" Fred asked, noting the bewildered look on her face.

She could only blink, mouth open wide in awe.

They were standing in the middle of a tiny little hillside, located just a short way from the Burrow's garden. The scenery was overflowing with wild flowers along with towering willow trees and the entire landscape had been flooded with moonlight. To add to the loveliness, a miniature river flowed near a particularly beautiful tree and reflected the twinkling stars above. Hermione hadn't yet managed to find the appropriate words to describe the gorgeous setting, which could very well prove the intensity and beauty of it all, as she was quite frequently described as a human dictionary.

Fred hadn't uttered a single word as of yet either, as he was too busy staring at Hermione's astonished features. She really did look exceptionally adorable with her mouth hanging open like that.

"I'll take that line of drool slipping out of your mouth as a yes." He said with a smirk.

Hermione's hand quickly darted to her lips.

"I'm not drooling, you idiot!" She commented indignantly, a blush invading her previously frozen cheeks.

Fred snorted.

"Calling me an idiot really isn't a very nice way of thanking me."

Hermione looked down in slight shame.

"I mean everyone knows that I prefer the word moron! Honestly Hermione, must you always strive to wound me so? " He asked earnestly.

Hermione giggled as she slapped Fred's arm.

"Shut up and come sit your moronic ass beside me, then." She called teasingly as she made her way toward the particularly striking willow tree.

"My ass isn't moronic." He exclaimed huffily, before loyally following the bushy head of bouncing curls with a grin adorning his features, perfectly satisfied with the way things were going.

And a little bit insulted of the behalf of his ass.

* * *

"Do you ever wonder what happens when we die?" Hermione inquired quietly.

They had been lying under the willow tree for hours, simply staring up at the sky in silence (well, silence for the most part; Fred couldn't help but crack a joke at least once in a while).

Somehow, Fred's hand had found it's way into Hermione's and he was currently having the time of his life destroying her nails.

"What?" He asked absentmindedly, still staring at the suffering fingers.

"I said, do you ever wonder what happens when we die?" She repeated slowly, taking care to remove her hand from his grasp as to prevent further distractions.

Fred frowned as he turned his gaze toward the stars.

"What brought on such a melancholy topic? I thought I'd cheered you up."

Hermione giggled. "You did. It's just that staring up at the sky has always made me wonder about life after death. I guess it's something about the everlasting beauty and continuity of it all that gets the questions rolling in my head." She reasoned.

Fred smiled at her explanation before adopting a reflecting pose.

Hermione snorted at the obvious fakeness.

"Well," He began, "hopefully, if you've done some good in your life, you get to go somewhere were you're completely at peace. That's how I see heaven, anyway."

Hermione nodded. "I like that theory. Complete peace, serenity and happiness sounds pretty good."

"_Pretty_ good?" Fred questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, come on, it's just a figure of speech! You know what I mean." She said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I do. I just like to annoy you." He said teasingly.

"Believe you me, I know you do." Hermione said with a laugh.

A comfortable silence fell between the two of them once more. Hermione sighed contentedly as her eyes flickered back and forth between Fred and the stars. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt quite this peaceful.

_Almost like heaven_. She thought happily and then laughed internally at her clichéd thoughts.

"Why is that though?" She suddenly inquired, turning around to face Fred as well as she could.

"Why's what?" Fred asked, as he turned around as well.

"Why do you always insist on annoying me so much?" She demanded.

Fred gave her an uneasy smile.

"Well, haven't you noticed? I usually strive to annoy the crap out of every living creature within a reasonable radius."

Hermione grinned briefly.

"I know that, but somehow it always seems worse with me." She said quietly.

Fred ran a pale hand through his hair before clearing his throat apprehensively. "Well, would you like me to stop, then? I could be dead serious if you'd like…I'll even grow a mustache."

Hermione threw her head back in laughter at the idea of Fred with a mustache.

"That, I'd like to see. But no, I don't suppose that I'd ever want you to stop. Your teasing has become a vital part of my every day." She said playfully, repressing a cringe when she realized how overly affectionate that had sounded.

Fred didn't seem to notice though. He just smiled warmly and leaned back with a somewhat relieved sigh.

Hermione, on the other hand, felt nowhere near relieved. Why had that uneasy little smile of his sent a herd of butterflies ricocheting everywhere inside of her stomach? It was the hand incident all over again! That boy was going to be the death of her…

A sudden splash of something very cold and very unpleasant put her panicked thoughts to an abrupt halt.

Hermione gasped in surprise as she leapt to her feet, shrieking in outrage when she saw Fred standing near the tiny river, his eyes those of a guilty criminal.

"What was that for?" She demanded heatedly.

Fred smirked. "To annoy you, of course. It's what I do best! And you missed your chance, babe. I offered to be serious, but you refused. So, you're screwed for life. Sorry, honey." He said with a laugh as Hermione still looked furious. "Plus, you're T-shirt's white."

Hermione's neck quickly snapped down in panic only to see that she was still wearing her black sweatshirt.

"No it isn't, you color blind maniac." She said.

Fred chuckled. "I know, I just wanted to see that alarmed look in your eyes. It's quite funny." He said with a playful shrug.

Hermione let out a low growl. "Funny, is it? Oh, I'll show you funny!" She exclaimed as she pounced into the freezing cold river, splashing water everywhere into the air and thus completely soaking the smirking culprit.

Fred's jaw dropped open in surprise, as he gazed down at his dripping form.

"You're dead." He said menacingly as he slowly began to advance toward Hermione with a perilous look in his eyes.

Hermione squealed in both terror and apprehension before whipping around and running as fast as her legs could carry her toward the safe haven that was the Burrow.

Fred was behind her in less than a second. He grabbed Hermione around the waist and promptly proceeded to tackle her to the ground, fusing his icy body to hers.

"One thing that you might find practical to remember, my dear Ms. Granger, is to never, ever seek revenge on a Weasley twin." He playfully hissed, his lips mere inches from hers. "Especially if that particular twin is called Fred. He's more dangerous." He added as an afterthought.

Hermione managed to snort despite the raging war of enormous mutant butterflies that was currently invading her stomach.

"Dangerous? You? Where on earth do you get that idea?" She asked breathlessly.

"I didn't have to get it anywhere, I was simply born with it. I'm a natural terror." He whispered.

"Well, you don't scare me." Hermione said quietly, positive that Fred could here her beating heart just as clearly as she could. Since when had it decided that it wasn't content with its habitat anymore and wanted to leap out of her chest anyway?

Fred smiled as he deftly leaned in further toward Hermione's lips so that they were practically sharing the same breath.

"That's good to hear, as I wouldn't want any girl whom I'm about to kiss to be frightened of me."

Hermione only had time to widen her eyes and gasp lightly in shock before their lips made gentle contact.

And in that moment, heaven truly appeared for the both of them.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! They've finally kissed:)**

**So…does that deserve a review?**

**Pwetty pwease?**


	5. Pleasant and Obnoxious Encounters

**A/N: I'd just like to say thank you to all of you wonderful people who have dropped me a review! They're hasn't been that many of you, but that just makes me appreciate every individual review even more! :) Thanks!  
Also, this chapter probably won't be as exciting as the last one, but it is necessary to the plotline. So, I'm hoping that you'll all enjoy it anyway! And once more, sorry for the late update! I'm horrible, aren't I? -sighs- Oh well!**

**Love,**

**Jess **

**Disclaimer: Well, I did **_**dream**_** that I was J.K last night…does that count? No? All right, I suppose that I'm still not her then. Snap!**

**Pleasant and Obnoxious Encounters**

Hermione awoke to the sweet sound of birds and the delicate smell of daisies.

She sighed contentedly as she stretched out onto the soft grass.

Last night had been…beyond words.

Hermione couldn't ever remember feeling that complete or so utterly happy in her entire life. It was as if the second half of her soul had somehow found its way through the darkness of the night and had entwined itself around her heart, willing it to go faster and faster every time their lips connected.

She smiled as she hazily raised her head to gaze at Fred. He was still sleeping soundly, one arm hooked around her waist and the other tucked beneath his head of flaming hair.

_How have I never realized just how adorable redheads are?_ She wondered as she admired his peaceful features. He looked so relaxed. Not a single frown line marred his forehead. The only detail that could betray any sort of emotion was the slight upturn of his pale lips.

Hermione's smile broadened, as she understood that last night had probably meant just as much to him as it had to her.

The way his eyes had sparkled every time they met hers had told her everything she needed to hear.

"Morning, love."

Hermione jumped as she heard, or rather felt, the throaty whisper in her ear.

"Hi." She returned breathily, as she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Ugh, Hermione. Morning breath." He complained.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Kidding, love." He laughed before capturing her reproving lips in an adoring kiss.

"You know that you really didn't deserve that." She informed him, as they both came back up for air.

"Oh, yes I did. I'm the one who brought you here, remember? You owe me."

Hermione grinned as she gazed up at _their_ Willow tree.

"You got enough of a payback last night. This just evens out the score."

Fred shrugged. "If you insist, babe." He said before rolling them both over into a remaining puddle of icy water.

Hermione gasped at the sudden coldness.

"Now, I owe you one." He said with a laugh, before jumping up and running off toward the Burrow.

"Get your moronic ass back here so I can whip the stupid, uneducated thing!" She shouted before sprinting off after him.

* * *

"Fred, if you don't get over here this instant, I swear to God that there will be no more kisses for a wee…"

"WHAT?"

Hermione's exclamation was cut short as she barged into the Burrow's kitchen and came face to face with Ron.

She watched with muted horror as an array of emotions made its way across his face.

First came confusion, then shock, then denial and finally, pure enragement.

"What the bloody hell did you just say?" He demanded, his tone as well as the degree of redness of his ears augmenting with each word.

"I…I suppose that I just threatened Fred." Hermione said weakly.

"With a week-long ban of KISSES? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He roared.

"It means that she won't kiss me for a week if I don't show my pretty face. Now, keep your voice down, dumbass. I don't like how you're talking to my Hermione." Fred said as he strode back into the kitchen and placed a protective arm around Hermione's waist.

"YOU'RE HERMIONE? Since when is she YOURS? What the hell, Granger? I thought that…that…" Ron struggled to get the words out.

Hermione's eyes flared.

"Thought what? That I was _yours _maybe? Ron, do you ever listen to yourself? I mean, just the way that you treated me yesterday should be a pretty clear explanation as to why I'm not yours in any way." She said.

Ron cringed. "I only said what everybody else says. Don't blame me for their words."

Hermione scoffed in disbelief. "Don't try to put this on anybody else, Ronald. You believed every word you said! And I was already aware of that certain opinion everybody seems to have of me that you're referring to. Thank you very much for bringing it up again, though. As you illustrated yesterday, it always does feel good to be reminded about just how pathetic one's life truly is. The fact remains though that as one of my supposedly best friends, you shouldn't think or say that about me. What others say is totally irrelevant."

"And you honestly think that Fred doesn't think that about you?"

"What exactly are you insinuating?" Fred demanded.

Hermione laid a calming hand on his chest.

"I know that he doesn't." She said firmly.

Silence fell upon the three of them, as Ron stood frozen, breathing heavily and glaring daggers at the pair.

"Then I take back everything I said." He whispered roughly, "You're a damn idiot."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she watched him whip around and storm his way upstairs.

"I'll kill him." Fred breathed.

Hermione shook her head as she removed his arm from around her waist.

"He didn't mean it. I think I've just hurt him bad, Fred."

"Then let him hurt!" Fred exclaimed. "After everything he's said to you, he deserves to suffer."

"I didn't realize that he still had that foolish crush on me. He shouldn't have found out this way." She whispered distractedly.

"Don't tell me that you actually feel bad for him!" Fred said, his eyes widening in incredulity.

"Well, yes… kind of. He might have been unnecessarily mean, but he can't control his words Fred, you know that. When he's mad, he just blurts out anything that comes to his mind."

"So, you're just going to forgive him?" He asked, his expression clearly appalled.

"I don't have a choice. For now, I can't let a fight get in the way. For all I know, he could be heartbroken."

"He doesn't even deserve you." Fred growled through his teeth.

"That's not important." Hermione said. "I have to go talk to him."

"You're actually going to go comfort him?" Fred exclaimed.

"No, not comfort. Just…I don't know! I can't just stand here and do nothing."

"Yes, you can." He said quietly.

Hermione slowly looked up at him.

"Well, if you're asking me to leave somebody I care about in pain, then you're asking me to be somebody that I'm not." She said softly.

Fred stared into her eyes.

"Well, if you're asking me to watch somebody I love get hurt, then you're asking me to do something that I'm physically incapable of." He whispered.

Hermione's gaze dropped to the floor.

"Then, maybe you should go."

She heard Fred's shoes squeak as they turned around and the door slam shut as he walked away.

Hermione sighed heavily as she made her way to the staircase and flumped down onto its first step.

She brought her knees up to her chin and laid her head down as the first tear trickled down her cheek.

First, she needed to somehow fix things up with Ron. Even though everything he had said had hurt her badly, seeing her with Fred must have hurt him twice as bad.

Second, she needed to patch things up with Fred. She hadn't been fair to him. He was just looking out for her after all…

And third…had Fred said _love_?

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think? If it isn't too much to ask, you could let me know by leaving me a tiny little (or big, your call!) review! -bats eyelashes-**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Getting Rid of the Problem that is Ron

**A/N: Well, here's chapter six! I shouldn't even bother apologizing for the late update anymore, right? You guys all know how bad I am by now! :)**

**I hope you all enjoy this! It isn't a terribly exciting chapter, but it clears up an important issue…-cough-Ron-cough-.**

**So, cheers everyone!**

**Jess **

**Disclaimer: Guess what! Last night, I wished upon a star to be J.K! And, you know what guys? It totally, completely and entirely…didn't work. -tears up-**

**Getting Rid of the Problem that is Ron**

"Oh, come on Ron! Just open the damn door already!"

"I don't want to talk to you, Granger. If you're looking for somebody to chat with, why don't you just go find your darling Fred?"

Hermione balled up her fists in frustration.

"Why must you always be so childish?" she demanded.

"Well _excuse_ me for not being as mature and perfect as that dear brother of mine! I suppose that the fact that he's an older guy is what made you fall for him in the first place, huh? Why don't you just go and date my Dad, then? Or even better, I have a grandfather who isn't _quite_ dead yet! He has to walk with a cane when it's humid outside and I'm pretty sure that he's well over 90 by now, but all the more fun, right Hermione? " Ron barked.

Hermione let out a growl of frustration. "Quit being so stupid! You're not even making any sense, Ronald!" she yelled.

"That's bloody rich coming from someone who's going out with a guy who's literally her polar opposite! Tell you what Granger, why don't you just run along and go shove that intelligent little tongue of yours down my brother's throat! I'm sure that his tonsils will come up with some brilliant theories of life that'll make much more sense than whatever it is that I have to say!" he shouted.

"You-are-such-an-idiot!" Hermione screamed before kicking the door with all her might.

"OW!" she hollered, collapsing down to the floor and bringing her aching foot to rest between her hands.

"Who's the idiot, now?" Ron exclaimed wryly.

"Oh, how I'd like to wring that pale little neck of yours." Hermione hissed as she massaged her sore toes.

They both fell silent then, Ron probably too angry to continue and Hermione too concentrated on her pain to think of any more decent arguments.

"Hermione?" Ron asked warily after a minute of tense silence had passed between the two of them.

"What?" she asked tiredly. All of her rage seemed to have disappeared in that kick.

"Your foot okay?" he asked quietly.

Hermione raised her eyebrows cautiously, even though she knew that Ron couldn't see her look of disbelief.

"Yeah, it just smarts a bit. Why do you care?" she asked.

Ron took a minute to answer.

"Maybe because I feel a little bad." He admitted.

"Have you finally realized how much of an asshole you've been during the past hour, then?"

"Have we really been yelling at each other for an hour?" Ron asked, ignoring her insult.

"Yes. Time flies by when one's having fun, doesn't it?" Hermione replied scathingly.

There was a heavy sigh from the other side of the door and Hermione watched with satisfied eyes as it finally eased open. Ron hesitantly made his way out to come sit down next to her.

"Sorry." He mumbled, looking down at the floor.

Hermione sighed in relief. "It's alright."

Ron turned toward her with suspicious eyes. "Really? You're forgiving me?"

Hermione shook her head with a teasing smile. "No. I do have my conditions. And you aren't totally excused for everything either, just the stuff regarding Fred. I haven't forgiven you about the things that you said about me the other night, and that'll take more than a quick "sorry" to fix."

Ron nodded glumly. "I'll make sure to redeem myself," he said. "I don't know how, but I'll think of something."

"You could just curse your tongue off." Hermione suggested.

Ron snorted. "Thanks. I deserved that."

"Yes, you did." Hermione agreed.

"So," Ron continued, "what are the conditions to my most immediate forgiveness."

Hermione tapped her index finger against her chin, organizing her thoughts. "First," she began slowly, "you are not to insult Fred, mock him or give him any grief about us dating. Second, you're to do the same when talking to me. Third, you should make an effort to not act nauseated when you're around us, and that means no pulling strange faces, gagging or turning green and or blue. And fourth, you are to never call me an idiot ever again." She finished. "All clear?"

Ron chuckled at her last order. "Yeah, all clear." He said with a grin. "Sorry about that." He added.

Hermione giggled her acceptance.

A more comfortable silence fell upon them.

Hermione couldn't help but feel immensely relieved. Things between Ron and her definitely weren't going to be perfect for a long while, but at least they'd be able to act civil now.

A sudden thought occurred to her. She grimaced as she realized she had forgotten to mention the most important issue at hand.

"What?" Ron demanded, noticing her look of discomfort.

Hermione took a deep, steadying breath. "I've been meaning to ask you about your feelings, Ron…regarding me." She said quietly, turning pink as she said the words and staring at her toes.

"Oh." Ron said, clearly uneasy and surprised. Hermione didn't even have to turn her head to know that he was probably crimson by now. "Well…I guess that what I said about you being…mine…well, not really said, but implied anyway, was kind of based on shock. I mean, I won't deny that I did used to have a crush on you 'Mione, but over the years, those feelings have kind of…faded. Seeing you guys together so suddenly must have made them rush back, somehow…or maybe it was just me being possessive or something. I dunno." Ron shrugged anxiously. "Point is, those feelings are gone now, and you definitely shouldn't be worrying about them coming back. Not that you're so horrible that they _can't_ come back," he added after catching Hermione's strange look, "it's just that you're way too much of a sister to me for me to feel anything other than platonic love toward you. Anything else would just be incest." He finished with a shudder.

Hermione laughed at his look of disgust. "Okay, sounds good. I was just checking to make sure that we were all on the same level, regarding that subject."

Ron nodded understandingly. "So…I suppose that you'd like to go see Fred now, huh?"

Hermione grinned. "Wow. You managed that with hardly any cringing at all! You must really be making an effort."

Ron rolled his eyes and stared at her insistently as he waited for her actual answer.

Hermione just looked down at the floor again and sighed heavily. "I guess I should go and find him." She muttered.

"Not breaking up already, are you?" Ron asked, trying to hide the hopeful edge to his voice as best as he could.

Hermione shook her head. "No, he's just mad at me."

"Why? What did _you_ do?"

Hermione gave him a significant look. "I came to talk to _you_." She replied.

Ron rolled his eyes again. "Ah, I see. He thinks that you should've just left me here to rot, huh?" He asked grimly.

"Precisely." Hermione agreed.

Ron seemed to consider this for a minute. "Well, I guess I deserved it." He finally said.

Hermione laughed. "Yeah, you probably did."

"So, why'd you come talk to me, then?" Ron asked.

"Because I'm too bloody nice for my own good." She sighed, getting up and dusting off her jeans.

Ron smirked. "Sounds about right." He approved, getting up as well.

"Any ideas on what I should say?" Hermione asked nervously, wringing her small hands together.

"Just mention that you casually murdered me by sticking a can of poisonous gas inside of my room. That'll make him happy." Ron said, lifting his arms up to the sky and stretching them until the joints popped.

Hermione shook her head, trying to suppress her giggles.

"Actually, Hermione, he's quite right. I would've forgiven you immediately."

Hermione whipped around at the sound of his voice.

"Hi, Fred." She mumbled quietly.

He didn't look mad, at least. He just seemed a little irritated with his arms crossed against his chest and one eyebrow raised up higher than the other one.

They both stared at each other for a long moment.

Fred finally exhaled heavily and uncrossed his arms as Hermione continued stay motionless, too nervous to budge.

"Come on," he said softly, extending a hand toward her, "we need to talk, babe."

* * *

**A/N: So, not all that great and exhilarating, huh? But, at least the Ron problem is completely taken care of now and we can move on to pure Hermione/Fred fluffy moments…or can we? ****Dum, dum, duh! ****Guess you'll just have to wait until the next chapter to find out! Bwahaha! **

**So, please leave a review if you have a few seconds to spare! It'll make my day even brighter!**

**Love you all!**

**Jess xx**


	7. The Calm Before the Storm

**A/N : Here's chapter 7! I'd like to point out that the timing is now officially off, but other than that, the rest of the story should be DH compliant! So, enjoy my dears! A very big, THANK YOU to the amazing WeasleyForMe for beta-reading this chapter!! You rock, dearest! :)**

**Disclaimer: I'm still not her…cloning hasn't been coming along so good…-points to tail-**

**The Calm Before the Storm**

Hermione could practically feel every single nerve in her body tingle as Fred gently took her by the hand and led her up to his room. Once inside, they both sat down on the edge of his bed, hands still entwined together (after a lot of hopping over clothes, boxes and assorted joke shop items that is). Fred wasn't looking at her, and it was making Hermione nervous. It did however permit her to stare at his face without fear of him catching her in the act. He didn't look irritated anymore, that much was certain. The only sentiment she could make out in his eyes was sadness…and maybe a little bit of anxiety.

_I don't like it_. She thought miserably. _My Fred isn't supposed to look like this. His eyes should never be filled with sadness, only with joy and giddiness._

It sent a horrible chill down Hermione's spine and dumped a heavy weight into her stomach to know that she was the cause of his misery, however necessary she knew her actions had been.

Hermione sighed. She couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"I could murder Ron, you know, if it'll get you to smile again," she offered quietly, wanting to erase at least a small part of the sadness from Fred's eyes.

It worked a little. His lips slightly turned up at the edges and when he turned around to face her, his eyes held a glimmer of their previous spark.

"I know you're bluffing, so I won't take you up on that offer, but you really should watch your mouth, Hermione," he said.

Hermione giggled a bit before taking a deep breath. "Fred, I'm-"

But Fred's lips on hers muffled her attempt at an apology. He pulled away quickly though, before pulling her into his arms. "I know. I am too… and I'm the one who's really to blame, 'Mione. Well, not entirely, as I still do think that you're much too sweet for your own good, but I should've realized that that's just who you are. You can't leave your friends behind hurting, no matter how undeserving they can be, and in many ways I admire you for that…as much as it's possible to admire someone while still thinking them a little loopy, that is."

That made her laugh, and the vibrations of her lips against Fred's neck made him begin to laugh as well.

"Who's loopy, now?" She giggled. "You're the one laughing for no reason."

"No reason, eh?" he asked, pulling back and cocking an eyebrow at her smirking face.

That simple question was enough to declare another tickling war between the two, but this time the battle was much more fun,as there were kisses exchanged in between tickling periods.

Finally gasping for breath, Fred pulled a puffing Hermione down onto his bed, arms around her waist. They stayed that way for a moment, both breathing deeply. Regaining a bit of energy, Hermione twisted herself around to face the object of her adoration, and snuggled closer into his chest.

"So…" she began, her voice still a little breathy from laughing too hard, "that was our first big fight? Wow…it wasn't so bad."

Fred chuckled. "Well, I could always make it harder for you, if you'd like."

Hermione burst into a fit of giggles, burying her face into Fred's shirt.

"What?" he asked, trying to pull her away from his chest.

Hermione just shook her head as she came up for air, giggling some more at the look of confusion on Fred's face. "It's just that George would have had a field day with that one," she explained.

Fred gave her a disbelieving look before being subjected to a fit of chuckles as well. "Get your head out of the gutter, babe," he said playfully.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Hermione replied, pulling herself upright and taking a deep, steadying breath. "I think that us making up has gotten me a little bit light-headed and giddy," she said with a grin.

"Makes sense," he replied, sobering up a bit as well, "but now that we've made up, can we make out?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and giving her a puppy-eyed look.

Hermione snorted. "That is _so_ cheesy!" she laughed.

But, of course, she agreed to his proposition all the same.

* * *

The following month seemed to be even better than paradise itself for Hermione and Fred.

"It's like heaven with cookies and pie…plus, puppies," Fred had joked. "I continuously feel as if I'm on a never-ending sugar high." Hermione had laughed and agreed that she shared the ongoing sentiment of excessive flightiness and contentment as well.

Once the announcement of their relationship had been made to the whole Weasley family (Ron, the worst part, had already been dealt with, so telling the rest of the family had been fairly easy) Fred and Hermione had been free to spend every waking moment of their lives together.

They'd eat lunch together under their willow tree, Fred would teach Hermione how to play Quidditch during the afternoon, Hermione would then read to Fred in the evening, they'd sit together at suppertime, and would spend long hours together at night, cuddled together in Fred's bed or snuggling outside under their tree when it was warm. After a while, they even began to wake up next to each other as well.

Hermione had never felt so alive. Fred seemed to bring out the best in her at all times. She was never tense anymore; never anxious… the word "stress" itself had been completely banned from her vocabulary. She could joke about everything and found her cheeks continuously aching from smiling so much. She even got along better with her friends, because now that she was so relaxed, it was easy to have long conversations with Harry, giggle about silly things with Ginny and even kid around with Ron.

Life had suddenly been warped into this huge field full of sunshine and daisies, and she never wanted it to end.

But…as perfect as everything was, Hermione constantly felt the distant presence of sadness, hanging over her head. It had taken her a while to identify what the daunting feeling was, but after a few weeks, she knew what it was that she had been subconsciously dreading.

She would be leaving soon. She'd be leaving the Burrow, leaving the Weasleys, leaving her parents, leaving Fred…leaving her life behind, to go search for the remaining Horcruxes. When she first realized it, she had been overcome with shock. How had she not seen it coming? How could she have forgotten about such a thing?

But she understood now that she hadn't _really_ forgotten about it. She had simply chosen to push it out of her mind. She hadn't wanted to think about it, so she had forced herself not to.

But now, she _was_ thinking about it, relentlessly, and the thought was eating her up inside. She knew that she'd have to tell Fred soon. She couldn't live with herself if she left without saying goodbye…even though the prospect of actually saying goodbye felt like it was going to kill her anyway.

She pushed herself to forget a little longer, to make the most of her time with Fred and to enjoy life while she could, but on the eve of their departure, she couldn't make herself forget anymore. It was real, and it was now.

Knowing that the time had come, Hermione made her way to Fred's room, with a heavy heart and tears in her eyes.

She could do this. She could say goodbye. She could leave him behind…

She was now staring at Fred's closed door, willing the tears not to spill over.

She shook her head and angrily wiped her eyes, before softly knocking three times upon the wooden door.

"Come on in, babe!" she heard Fred exclaim cheerfully.

A tear spilled over.

She couldn't do this.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! By the way, this is the second to last official chapter! **

**Thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far! hugs**


	8. Letting Go

**A/N: Well, here's the last chapter you guys! Once more, sorry for the ridiculously long wait...I'm hopeless, aren't I?**

**I really hope that you've all enjoyed reading this story, and that you won't be too disappointed with its ending! A very big thank you goes out to all of you who have dropped me a review, or who have quite simply read through every chapter! **

**And another huge thank you goes to WeasleyForMe for being such a wonderful beta-reader! **

**Happy reading! **

**Jess xx**

**Disclaimer: If I were J.K, it wouldn't have been necessary for me to write a story to help cope with Fred's death, as he quite simply would not be dead. As it is, the many months of mourning I have gone through prove otherwise.**

**Letting Go**

_**Many months later…**_

Something was wrong. Something was _horribly_ wrong. When that stupid wall had caved in and everything had been engulfed in dust, she had seen him disappear, but she had still hoped…

During the entire length of the battle, the only sentiment that had been present within Hermione had been numbness. When she had destroyed that cup, she hadn't felt a thing; when she had kissed Ron in that one horrible moment of weakness, not a single emotion had bubbled up inside of her…not even the essential comfort she had been searching for in the first place. When she had cast those spells, fought all those Death Eaters and watched the people she knew die, she hadn't been able to make herself react once. Even seeing the vacant looks on the faces of all those departed souls, lying on the cold stone floor with eyes wide open, but unable to see anything ever again…even _that_ hadn't been enough to wipe away the dead feeling that had been clawing away at her heart all night long.

And when she had thought Harry to be dead…she had been sent into such a state of shock, that her entire body had just shut down, leaving no place for grief or terror or anything at all.

And then, when Harry had finally killed that wretched shell of a man, she had fallen into such a stupor that the mere idea of _feeling_ had been deemed completely foolish by her brain.

But _now_, standing on top of what felt like a giant precipice, now _something_ had found a way to break through her frozen thoughts, and plunge her into a bloodcurdling abyss of emotion.

Fear, had somehow found her.

Without having decided to do so, she was running with no idea as to where she was headed. Her lungs, which still felt as if they had shut down, were searing with pain, and her heart was pounding harder than the drum roll played before a man is hanged…

Every step she took seemed to be leading her to death. With every step, the noose would tighten around her neck, and the pounding would grow louder; grow faster.

And then, she saw him.

She saw him, lying on the ground, like all of those bodies she had already seen during this damn night.

Except, he was different.

When Hermione saw him, unmoving, with a smile still adorning his lips, she didn't feel numb. Her vision didn't stay cloudy, like it had been for hours. She wasn't deaf to the world anymore; everything seemingly put on mute for her sake. No, when she saw him, she could feel, see and hear, _everything._

She could feel her heart rip apart, stealing her breath away and bringing unthinkable pain to every nerve in her body.

She could see every detail of his face with icy clearness: the deadness of his eyes, the small trickle of blood sneaking out of the corner of his smiling lips, the color draining away from his already pale complexion.

She could hear everything around her with horrible precision, as if somebody had suddenly spun the world's volume button to its maximum…George's desperate sobs pressing in against her eardrums… the sound of Ginny's murmured words, trying to comfort her even though she was crying herself.

It was too much. She didn't want it. She wanted the numbness back. She didn't want to see him anymore. She wanted black, she wanted nothing, she wanted out.

_But, there is no out. He's gone. Fred's gone._

"Oh, God," she choked, before spinning on her heel and running out of what was once the Great Hall.

She ran until she had reached a deserted corridor, filled with nothing but ruble and dust. Tears streaming down her face, she knelt and picked up a stone, angling it so that it's sharpest point was facing her. She took a deep breath…

And smashed it as hard as she could against her skull.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she fell back into darkness, and dreamed…

* * *

"_I'm so sorry, Fred," I cried. _

_He was crying too, quiet sobs escaping his soft lips and making my heart ache worse than I had ever known it could. I had just told him that I was leaving the very next morning, and he was taking the news just as badly as I had known he would._

"_Why?" he demanded through tears. "Why do you have to leave? Stay with me, Hermione. Please. Please, don't go. Don't leave me…"_

_I shook my head and buried my face into my hands. "I have to go, Fred. You know I do. I have to do this for Harry, for everyone…for you." _

_His arms were around me, and we were crying together, our bodies shaking, and breaking at the same time._

_When he released me, he kissed me with more passion than I had thought was possible. I knew then that he accepted my decision, but that he'd never let me go. _

_We didn't break apart for one second that night. I gave myself up to him in every way possible, both physically and emotionally. _

_When I woke up the next morning, he was still sleeping. I had never wanted to wake him up more, and yet I knew that I couldn't. Our goodbyes had been made. I couldn't face another one._

_So, I kissed him on the cheek and gently got out of bed. I smoothed the sheets over on my side before looking at him once last time. _

_He was smiling in his sleep. _

_A final tear managed to escape, as I pulled on his bathrobe and walked out the door. _

"_I'll see you soon," I promised silently, as I shut the door behind me and walked off to find Harry and Ron._

_Of all the things I remembered to bring along with me that morning, my heart was not one of them. It stayed behind, forgotten but safe._

* * *

When Hermione awoke, the first thing that crossed her mind was how overly noisy everything was. There were buzzing noises everywhere, and they seemed to be growing louder and louder by the second.

She slowly opened her eyes to try and see what was making all of that racket, but found that her vision was too blurry to see anything at all, except for blinding fluorescent lights. Groaning, she brought a hand up to shield her eyes from their brightness.

Suddenly, all the noises stopped. Hermione sighed in relief. "Much better," she whispered.

"Hermione?"

She jumped, her hand sliding off of her face and exposing her to the lights again. But their glow wasn't as bad now, as dark figures were leaning over her and protecting her from their intensity.

"Hermione, are you awake?"

Hermione wished that whatever was making that loud noise would stop it. Her head was pounding horribly.

"I don't think that her thoughts are coherent enough to understand us, yet."

Hermione frowned. The dark shapes were getting clearer. She could see red, lots of it, and someone with glasses too. She even recognized the room; she was in the Immediate Care ward in St.Mungo's. One particular figure kept her attention though, and she kept herself focused on it as her vision slowly came back to her.

Somehow, she knew that face. She knew those freckles, those lips, those eyes and that nose.

Something within herself clicked.

"Fred?" she croaked.

Pain shot across the familiar eyes, as they gazed into hers. "No," he whispered. "No, Hermione. I'm George. Fred's…Fred's gone."

The pain that had been present in her head seemed to reach out to every other part of her body, as terrible memories flooded her mind… memories that she didn't want. Memories of Fred, lying on the ground…of Fred, dead.

"Let me go back," she said softly.

The face that was closest to hers that she now recognized as Harry's frowned. "Go back where, 'Mione?" he asked.

"The blackness," she mumbled. "Please. He was with me, there."

* * *

A silent tear slowly made its way down her frozen cheek. She sniffled a bit. The cold was finally starting to register somewhere within her numb thoughts. She delicately placed another single white rose upon the monument and deftly made her way back up the tiny dirt road that lead to the Burrow.

The Burrow…

Another tear slipped out of her hazel eye as the thought of her second home came to mind. It just wasn't the same anymore.

Nothing was the same anymore, now that he had left her.

She came to a sudden stop. Her subconscious mind had led her off of her usual path, and had instead brought her to her favorite spot on Earth.

The tears began to fall heavily now. She sat down in the snow under a great big tree, now devoid of all its normally beautiful leaves and flowers so that it could no longer shelter her from the falling snowflakes.

Nothing could shelter her anymore. Nothing could protect her from the biting cold, from the absolute deadness that she felt. Only he could've protected her… but he was gone. And now, not even his tree, their tree could console her.

A sob escaped from her lips as she uttered his beloved name, so familiar to her tongue. It felt empty now, somehow bare as if it had been stripped from all of its previous love and joy.

She let her head fall heavily into her arms.

She couldn't bare this pain anymore.

Not without him.

"Why? Why did you leave me? Oh God, I need you so much Fred…"

It had been like this for as long as she could now remember. Every day, she'd come here, and every day she'd cry. Every day was harder, was longer, and was colder. Even George had stopped visiting daily. Everyone had returned to their lives, and yet she couldn't do the same. She was trapped here, somewhere between the living and the dead.

She shakily pulled out her wand from her coat's pocket and stared at it.

Why not?

She had tried, she had tried _so hard_ to live again, but it just wasn't working. Why not just give up? Why not go join him?

The wand was at her temple, and the curse was on the tip of her tongue, when she heard someone cry.

"Hermione! Hermione, where are you?"

She gasped, and stowed the wand back into her pocket, just as Ron found her.

Standing before her, his eyes softened as they read the distress in hers.

"Come on, 'Mione. Everyone's been worried about you. You promised you'd try and have fun tonight."

Hermione nodded, and reached up to grab his outstretched hand, a feeling of disappointment gnawing away at the pit of her stomach.

Every time she got close to doing it, something would come along to stop her. Why? Why couldn't the universe just let her go? It had already taken everything she had ever wanted away from her. Why couldn't it just give her a release? A simple way out?

Just as she was getting up, something caught her eye. A single leaf, perched upon one of the lower braches of their tree, was still as green as if it were summer. A single little leaf had managed to survive, when everything around it had withered and died.

A thought then occurred to Hermione, the first clear one she had had in ages. Maybe the world kept on stopping her, because she wasn't meant to abandon it just yet.

Maybe, although it was quite possible that she was imagining things, but maybe _Fred_ didn't want her to join him right away. Could he truly be the one who had prevented all of her attempts? His time had come… was it feasible that hers hadn't yet? That she was meant to hang around here, and to go on…without him?

Was it possible that he _wanted_ her to survive, just like that solitary leaf had? That he was somewhere up there, completely at peace, just as he had described heaven would be, and that he was watching over her?

Could that really be?

Intertwining her fingers with Ron, she let herself be led to the Burrow. And as she stepped inside its warmth and saw all of the smiling faces around her, she even permitted herself to smile as well, for the first time in months. Her cheeks ached at the strange movement.

"Where've you been, Hermione?" Ginny asked anxiously, wrapping her into a hug.

Hermione just shrugged. "Out, having a talk with Fred," she answered simply.

That night, she did have fun. She did smile, and she did laugh. But every moment, she was thinking of him.

She _would_ live, she _would_ love, and she _would _somehow be happy again, if only for his sake.

For him, she could do it. For the man she loved and who went down laughing, she'd find a way.

It would never be perfect…how could one truly be perfect while missing half of one's self, anyway? But she knew that he would've wanted it that way. He wouldn't have wanted her to give up, and to move to New York and to become a prostitute, like she had threatened to do so, so many months ago. He would've said, "Ah, but that's no good, babe! Everyone _knows_ how ridiculously priced a flat there can be!"

And then he would've told her to slap a smile on her face and to just keep on living, and to just be happy. Because that's what Fred was all about really, when you got down to it, what he would always work so hard to do: Fred made others happy. Whether it was with jokes or with kisses, he always knew how to spread joy.

So, in a final act of love, she would be the one to make him happy now. She would live her life, and enjoy every moment of it, and even go so far as to enjoy it twice as much, for the both of them.

And _that,_ was a promise… babe.

**The End**


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